The “Exporting la dolce vita” report, issued by the Confi ndustria Study Centre for its 2019 Summit, contains a detailed defi nition of the concept of BBF (Bello e Ben Fatto, i.e. “Beautiful and well made”) that has been popular in the Italian luxury industry for some years now: “BBF refers to all those goods that represent Italian excellence in terms of design, care, quality of materials, and processes. These products can come from all production sectors, but they are especially related to taste and creativity. In this sense, BBF goods are the most easily recognisable examples of Italy-made products, as their characteristics are related to the Italian cultural heritage, traditions, landscapes, and works of art and they help shape the idea of Italian industriousness.”
Many of the companies that have contributed and still contribute to the success of Italian-made products all over the world are family-owned businesses with strong ties to the geographical area where they were established and have started growing. Through the attention to detail and careful investments, these fi rms have been able to gain a share of the diffi cult-to-penetrate sector of high-end consumer goods. Almar, specialising in the production of bathroom furnishings since 1969, is one of them.